Survival of pathogenic bacteria under nutrient starvation conditionsThe survival of opportunistic pathogenic microorganisms in water, under nutrient-limiting conditions, has been investigated in order to ascertain whether human pathogens can survive within a water-distribution system of the kind proposed for the NASA Space Station. Cultures of a strain of pseudomonas aeruginosa and two strains of staphylococcus aureus were incubated at 10, 25, or 37 C, and samples at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, and six weeks. While neither of the staphylococcus strains tested were detected after 1 week of starvation, the pseudomonas strain can survive in deionized water at all three temperatures.
Document ID
19900062354
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Boyle, Michael (Harvard Univ. Cambridge, MA, United States)
Ford, Tim (Harvard Univ. Cambridge, MA, United States)
Mitchell, Ralph (Harvard Univ. Cambridge, MA, United States)
Maki, James (Harvard University Cambridge, MA, United States)